AN: The Star Trek Fandom… The final frontier… not really, but close enough.
Intro thingie: Hi, I'm KLS. This fic takes place in nuTrek verse and is a Kirk/Spock/Bones pairing.
Summary: Spock seems to have an illness and searches out Nurse Chapel. He gets Bones instead. What follows is a series of rants, misunderstandings, and general soul-spilling that tangles the Captain, his First, and the Chief Medical Officer together to form a soon-to-be unbreakable bond.
Dedication: tanzenPILZen – for kicking my ass and stealing my sleep so I finally took that last step into space.
Request: Enjoy/Review…? Maybe?
"What?" Leonard McCoy stared with a kind of distant fascination as Spock of all people shifted in minute movements that he could only describe as nervous fidgeting. Except Mr. Spock didn't fidget, so Bones didn't really know what he was doing. Just that it wasn't normal. He frowned then, a minute twitch of the lips that betrayed the irritation Spock claimed he never felt.
"I wish to know the location of Nurse Chapel."
"You want to know where Nurse…Chapel…is?" It was the eyebrow this time, Bones noted in that same detached state. Truthfully, Bones didn't know why he wasn't just answering the Vulcan to get him out of his space. He'd last seen her in the Mess Hall, whether or not she was still there Bones didn't particularly know or care. He was hardly her Keeper, much as she sometimes seemed to believe otherwise. Maybe he didn't answer because it was Spock. Inquiring about Nurse Chapel's whereabouts. And that just seemed wrong.
"Yes. Do you have the required information or not?" Bones let some of his incredulity, and more of his amusement, show on his face.
"Are you getting snippy with me?"
"I have learned in my time aboard the Enterprise to adapt my speech to best communication with those I encounter. If I appear to be "snippy" with you, I assure you it is only because "snippy" seems to be a language manner you thoroughly understand."
"Well aren't you cheeky?" Bones muttered. He didn't really have anything to say to that and held up a hand to forestall the no doubt equally snarky reply Mr. Spock had on his tongue. Spock relented…sort of.
"The location of Nurse Chapel?" He prompted. Bones shook his head.
"I don't know where she is, but she'll probably be back in about twenty minutes. Why?" Spock shifted again and Bones idly wondered why he noticed.
"It is nothing of major importance."
"Well obviously—"
"I merely—"
They both paused, Bones in curiosity of the fact that Spock was actually prepared to expound, and Spock in wonder of what the doctor found to be obvious. Realizing he was at fault, Bones made a continuing motion with his hand in a muttered apology. Spock paused and the doctor recognized the curious introspective glint in the Vulcan's eyes—even if he didn't particularly like it.
"Expound." Bones nearly bristled before rolling his eyes instead. Some things just weren't worth it.
"Only if you explain why you need to see Nurse Chapel so badly." The eyebrow again, but this time Spock shifted his stance as well.
"I fail to see why my explanation—"
"Consider it a trade. I explain something to you and in return you explain something to me." Spock's mouth opened and Bones hurried to cut him off again. He wasn't in the mood to weave his way around Spock's logic. He just wanted an answer so the question wouldn't nag him anymore. "Do you want an answer or not?" A curt nod. Finally.
"Whatever your problem is can't be that major, or you wouldn't be seeking out Nurse Chapel. You'd be seeking out me. Or rather, seeking out the Captain to seek out me." Bones paused abruptly as Spock shifted and his eyes narrowed. "Right?" he asked shrewdly.
"That would be logical." Bones bit back a sigh. Must this man be so difficult?
"Why did you need to see Nurse Chapel?"
"I have found myself…distracted…lately." Bones held himself still. He had two ways to deal with this. He could get pissed and chase Spock off and never learn about whatever problem was apparently inflicting the half-breed…or he could sit here and wheedle out the man's issue while quietly seething. It was a surprisingly hard decision. He knew what he'd do with nearly any other member of the ship. He'd flip his shit. Yes, she could do her job, but Nurse Chapel was no Dr. Leonard McCoy. Of every person on this ship, Bones had actually thought Spock knew and understood that the best. Better even, than one Captain James T. Kirk. It almost hurt to admit that, especially now that he was essentially being slapped in the face with evidence to the contrary. And damn it all, why was he still hesitating?
Spock seemed to be confused, too, having expected a more explosive response. He'd been mentally preparing arguments to ensure that he knew and understood Dr. McCoy was far more qualified and experienced than Nurse Chapel. And he fully believed everything he'd been prepared to say, even if he was…unaccustomed to giving such open and supportive praise. Spock knew the temperament of the crew of the Enterprise. Admittedly, he knew some better than others, namely the Captain, but he'd considered Dr. McCoy to be near the top of that proverbial list—if not the second. This silence, however, had him wondering at the accuracy of his estimations. Truthfully, he would have preferred the exclamations.
"So you've been…distracted, lately?" The question snapped the both of them to reality; despite McCoy having asked, he needed something to ground him. This seemed safer than throwing something, at any rate. Spock nodded carefully and Bones huffed. "Damn it, I'm not going to bite you. And for the record, having distractions—or any abnormal feeling, really—is to be considered major.
"That doesn't seem to be protocol for the rest of the crew."
"The rest of the crew doesn't bleed green." Bones replied dryly. "Now about the distractions—what's the source?"
"I believe that is your job to discern."
"And don't forget it." Bones grumbled as he prodded Spock toward one of the beds. He was willing to let that slide for the sake of information. "What about symptoms? How do you feel when these distractions come about? Physically, of course."
"I find my heart begins to beat erratically, and I develop symptoms of nausea. On occasion my throat swells, making it hard to swallow, though I feel the need to do so almost convulsively. And my mouth seems to dry out at a rather alarming rate." Bones had paused half way through Spock's monologue as he considered what the Vulcan had told him. He had a sinking suspicion about what had afflicted the Commander.
"Are those the only symptoms?"
"They are the most notable, yes." Spock replied. Bones sent him a sharp look that was largely ignored.
"Okay." He gritted out shortly. "Is there a certain pattern to these symptoms? Do they come around at a certain time?" Spock swallowed and began to shake his head before seeming to think better of it.
"It usually happens on missions in which certain members are required to leave the ship, myself included." Bones didn't need the explanation, there were only two personnel who went down with nearly every landing party, and they were the Captain and his First Officer.
"When did these symptoms start?"
"I am unsure. I only took immediate notice of this…change recently."
"Why recently?" Spock shifted again.
"In addition to what I have told you, I find myself often…inquiring to the whereabouts of certain personnel when extended periods of time pass. Despite knowing that logically no harm could have come to any of the crew, I cannot stop my evident unease until I've located them."
Bones regarded the Commander carefully, checking for any abnormal signs of stress. He had just admitted to feeling for one or more crew members, and seemed to be saying more than he wanted to if the sudden terseness in his speech was any indication.
"So this…affliction occurs when a person is put into situations of high risk or you're separated for extended periods of time." Bones couldn't quite decipher the look Spock gave him.
"Yes." Bones sighed explosively, falling onto the bed next to Spock's. This was getting ridiculous. Spock—emotionally stinted as he was—wasn't a complete rock, much as he liked to believe otherwise. He was even half-human, so really he had no excuse. If nothing else, Bones knew Spock would have looked up his own symptoms before heading to med-bay, if only to rub the knowledge that he knew what was wrong with him in McCoy's face—that was harsh. Fundamentally, Bones knew that Spock needed to know what was wrong with him just as much as Bones would in order to continue functioning. Knowing everything that went on with himself was one of the few things Spock needed. Bones blinked, started at the sudden epiphany. If Spock knew what was "wrong" with him, then he wouldn't need to seek out a doctor, but he still went to med-bay looking for…Nurse Chapel.
"You were going to ask Nurse Chapel for advice on—" he stopped before he finished, unsure of how wise it would be to inform the Commander of the dangers of a woman scorned presented, and even more unsure of whether he even wanted to have that conversation. Absurdly, Spock seemed to relax some. The commander didn't think he'd have to be that blunt. Well…blunt for him, at any rate. He nodded somewhat hesitantly and stared uneasily at the assessing look he was given. "Look Spock, Jim's an idiot. Not only is he an idiot, he's a dense one. If you love him—which you do or you wouldn't be here giving me that Vulcans-don't-feel crap you're so fond of—you need to tell him. He'll be too busy trying to forge and maintain whatever relationship you two do have. If he does return your feelings, he won't be the one to spill. That'll have to be your job."
Bones let Spock absorb that as he reflected on his own feelings. In truth? He didn't much care that Spock and Jim would be together. And they would be together. Spock was a lot of things—being able to feel little more than a blind man could see may have been one of those things—but all that really did was leave more room for Spock-logic. Pure, Vulcan-tainted, barely truthful, mostly manipulative, and occasionally snarky Spock-logic. He'd eventually give himself the courage to tell Jim—it was only logical he go to the source of his problem. And Captain Kirk, young, excitable Captain Kirk—who everyone knew had a soft spot for his crew and a softer spot for his first—wouldn't deny the green-blooded hobgoblin. Regulations be damned, Bones was a little surprised to find how ready he was to support them both. But then, he might've been the only one who realized how much they needed this.
Jim needed someone to keep him level and aware of more than the moment he lived in, and Spock needed someone to liberate him from his personal restraints every once in a while whilst simultaneously helping him adjust to the 'illogical' behaviors of other races. Symbiotic relationships worked out so nicely, he thought wryly, an amused smile tugging his lips before a thought struck him and he dead-panned.
"So Jim is the first, who's the other one?" Spock, who had relaxed considerably from his previous state—meaning he's stopped fidgeting and the calculating look had returned to his eyes—sat up that bit straighter, a slight tension around his eyes betraying the officious air he was trying to project.
"I do not believe I understand your meaning." Bones twitched. Were they really going back to this?
"Don't lie to me."
"Vulcans do not lie, Dr. McCoy."
"A lie by omission is still a lie, Commander."
"I am not omitting any information, Dr. McCoy. Merely, I am asking for clarification. 'The other one' is a rather obscure term."
"You know exactly what I'm talking about Spock!"
"If you are suggesting I make my own assessment by way of your human implication, may I advise against it? My own interpretation of your meaning could be quite inaccurate." Bones was just shy of livid when the door slid open to grant entrance to Nurse Chapel.
"Fine, if you're going to be difficult Chapel can deal with you. I'm a doctor not a damn psychiatrist." He stood abruptly, striding toward the door muttering a bitter 'He's your problem now' to Nurse Chapel as the door slid soundly shut.
Jim wasn't entirely sure how he'd gotten into this situation, only that he was, and having an even harder time trying to figure out how to get out of it. From what he'd gather of the rather long-winded and still on-going rant, his Chief Medical Officer had not been having a good day. Of everything he'd bothered listening to he'd managed to gather that Bones was behind on some report or other and out of alcohol. There were bits and pieces of Spock splattered about but apparently Bones was just spreading a general hatred of the universe around. Which was fine with Jim, he was of the personal opinion that everyone needed a good rant now and then, but he did wonder if he deserved the headache slowly but surely forming at his temples.
"…And Nurse Chapel just –"
"Wait, what does Nurse Chapel have to do with Mr. Spock?" Jim cocked an eyebrow at the dead stare Bones gave him. "What?" McCoy sighed, taking a seat in one of the chairs in Jim's private quarters, shaking his head before letting it fall on the table over crossed arms.
"He wanted to confess to Nurse Chapel." Jim blinked, feeling a sharp tension knot his shoulders as he shifted.
"Weird…" he breathed. Leonard McCoy's head snapped up and Jim straightened at the sharp look. He held up his hands uneasily. "I just didn't see it coming. I figured if he confessed to anyone it'd be Uhura…thought he already had, actually." Jim watched dark eyes narrow into something just shy of a glare before Bones gave up and groaned, rolling his eyes before letting his head fall back down again.
"You really are an idiot. Spock doesn't love Chapel." Jim felt the tension leave his shoulders in a single exhale before he crossed his arms defensively.
"You're the one who said he confessed." Bones was up like a shot.
"I didn't mean to her! Argh, damn it Jim."
"What? Hate to break it to ya Bones, but you're not makin' a whole lot of sense." Whatever Jim had been trying to accomplish – and he'd admit to not knowing exactly what that was – he failed. Miserably. Bones went back to muttering and Jim went back to sitting idly watching his friend pace a hole into his floor.
"You have an amazing amount of energy." Jim muttered. Bones paused.
"What?"
"Erm…you…walk…a lot?" he ventured, smiling disarmingly. Jim's luck won out as Bones opted to ignore him.
"…little green-blooded ingrate…spend all that time helping him – to find he toyed with me, then find out what's wrong to have him go all Vulcans-don't-have-emotions on me. The biggest load of crap I've ever heard. I mean his mother –"
"Careful Bones…" Jim warned. Bones wasn't so callous that he'd insult the woman, even if she were alive, and both knew that. The warning wasn't needed, but Bones acquiesced anyway, switching direction without missing a beat.
"And if Vulcans can't feel how the hell did Spock fall in love? Twice?" Jim blinked.
"Wait what?"
"I'll tell you how, it's total crap. Vulcans feel and lie, they just get away with being jerks about it."
"Spock fell in love twice?"
"They're a race dedicated to denial and sending Chief Medical Officers to their own psych evals—" This wasn't working, Jim realized. He'd have to try a different bid for attention.
"I dunno Bones, maybe it's just the human in him. I mean, I fell in love… Twice." A gamble, but one Jim was willing to take.
"Jim, you fall in love with anything that moves."
"I prefer to think of it as them falling in love with me."
"And Uhura was…" Jim winced.
"Uhura is my Communications officer and she was an interest of mine, yes, but I wouldn't call it love." It wasn't this. He didn't add that. Why ruin the success he'd achieved? "Hey, y'know you're not a very good Cupid." Whatever retort Bones might've had was apparently lodged in his throat before he shook off his slight surprise.
"I'm a doctor, Jim, not a –"
"Love sprite?" Jim cut in cheekily, contrasting sharply with McCoy's rather resigned tone.
"How do you even know who Cupid is?" Jim's grin grew.
"I'm unethical, not uneducated, Bones."
"I don't recall you doing any real work at the academy."
"I don't recall there being a mythology class." Jim replied. Bones rolled his eyes refusing to continue in that vein. Jim's grin returned happily as he let the topic drop. He didn't particularly like or have any interest in mythology, but he remembered some basic things. That wasn't really the point though. No, he was far more interested in the fact that one Dr. Leonard McCoy hadn't denied making any attempts at being Cupid. Before he could grill the man, however, he was saved by Nurse Chapel's voice calling him to med-bay. A muttered 'you're lucky' reached his ears as the door slid shut.
If Jim thought his apparent peace would last with Bones' exit, he was mistaken. He had just enough time to take a few painkillers and get one foot out his door before Spock's voice reached him.
"Captain, may I have a word?" Jim only hesitated a little before silently motioning to his quarters. He cocked an eyebrow at the look of gratitude he thought Spock might've sent his way. He stood rigid, hands clasped behind his back tightly. He looked tense, Jim noted as the door slid shut behind him. There was a prolonged silence in which Jim realized he was supposed to speak.
"Yes, Mr. Spock? Is there a problem?" Jim the fascination of watching his first actually fidget before he replied.
"I am unsure on how you will perceive this Captain."
"Jim," Jim responded automatically, thoughts sifting through the meaning of his friend's vague words.
"Jim," Spock amended, shifting his stance just slightly again.
"Well, we won't know until we try, will we Spock?" Jim asked. His head was starting to pound. He supposed it was a side-effect of trying to escape a rant initiated by Bones followed immediately with attempting to decipher Spock-speech: purposely vague when he wanted someone else to say something for him or he was avoiding something. Neither happened very often, but they were generally worrying when Jim wasn't in the midst of a possible migraine. Spock would just have to spill or wait.
"Spock, if there's something bothering you, or something I can help with, I'd like to know." There was more silence before Spock seemed to come to a decision.
"I have spoken with numerous personnel aboard the Enterprise and all seem to have come to the same general consensus." A pause, and Jim felt himself tense all over again, his head pounding. "Nurse Chapel informed me I was bitten by an insectile-like creature that ignites permanent feelings of affection within me, no matter how illogical the sensation is, that reacts to the presence of key individual's, namely you, and causes –" he stopped abruptly when Jim held up a hand, forestalling anything further. He raised his free hand to his temples. Spock had been rambling – oh, all the information was no doubt pertinent, but that didn't mean it was necessary. He felt his lips twitch as the words processed in his head. Spock couldn't be serious. Still, he felt his heart soar at the possible admission.
"This…insect…did she give it a name? In laymen's term?" Spock hesitated, clearly reluctant as he looked away, but he wouldn't lie to Kirk. Not about this.
"Yes." It didn't mean he'd willingly say it either. Jim huffed.
"And that is?"
"I believe she referred to it as a…love…bug." Jim managed not to laugh, but it was a very near thing.
"You were bit by a love bug?" Jim's wide amused grin softened when he noticed Spock's agitated state and he took pity on the other. After all, he'd done the hard part. Harder for him, even, being half-Vulcan and evidently only half-capable of admitting it, as well as wholly reluctant. He approached Spock quickly, migraine-be-damned, and wrapped his arms around the other before he could move. He whispered his next words almost reverently against the too-tense Commander's lips, and let both their hearts soar at the sensation of kissing. "I love you, too." Admittance, acceptance, and a growing sense of completion. They pulled apart, Jim blushing but grinning and Spock looking just that bit flustered. It didn't last and Spock looked away self-consciously. Jim noticed immediately, but Spock didn't give him the chance to say anything.
"I am…unsure if I should pursue this with you." Spock could face a great number of things, but the slowly crushed look crossing his Captain's face was not – and never would be – one of them. "I can not and will not lie to you. I…feel…these things for another." Kirk blinked rapidly, some of the crushed look fading in light of curiosity and new hope, but still lurking like an ever-present shadow in the depths of his eyes.
"U…" Jim had to try the name again, forcing sound passed the panicked clenching of his throat. "Uhura?" Spock tensed slightly at the name but shook his head. That relationship had been – and still was – complicated, but what little romance that had been involved ended mutually. "Nurse Chapel?"
"It is not directed toward any female aboard the Enterprise."
"Scotty? Sulu? Chekhov?" Jim grinned sheepishly at the look Spock leveled at him. "Well it's not like you're giving any hints."
"It is Dr. McCoy." Spock answered before Jim could give any more guesses. The eyes of his Captain brightened immediately, and his grin returned full force.
"You're in love with Bones?"
"Vulcans do not –"
"Feel love, yes I know, but you're half-human and if we're gonna get Bones you're gonna have to say it. And I mean actually say it." They stared at each other for a few moments before Spock broke it.
"I am unsure if I can." His admittance was laced with his hesitance and Jim bit his lip in thought. He couldn't – and wouldn't – force Spock to say it. It wasn't fair. And they couldn't let Bones fester either. Sure as Jim was that Bones would support them, he was also hyper-aware of the man's growing loneliness. He needed someone to care for again – intimately. Both Jim and Spock needed that, even if neither would admit to it – ever. Bones could and would be their safe-haven, their rock to bridge them through that gap where so many others failed, as they would give Bones his opening again. They would be the outlet he'd lost when he'd lost his kids. Jim had no doubt he and Spock could give life to those bones, the trick was getting the man to agree without forcing anyone to cross any boundaries. Then it clicked and Jim grinned.
"I have a plan."
"I feel a strong attraction for you, stemming from what I believe to be an intense physical attraction combined with my personal opinion of your accomplishments and our shared history." Bones stared blankly at Spock, his mouth slowly opening. Jim snickered as he moved forward, leaning on the man's desk he used two fingers to push Bones' mouth closed.
"I love you, too. And even if you deny it fervently I'm not letting you say no to this Bones. Not until you try." Bones almost literally flailed as he tried to grasp what was happening.
"Do you have any idea how unethical –" Bones stopped abruptly when both Jim and Spock raised their eyebrows simultaneously. He crossed his arms, eyeing Jim wearily. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" It was Spock who answered, coming forward to stand next to Jim.
"It is the only idea acceptable." And then, quieter, because he wasn't exactly sure where he stood in the doctor's eyes, "You are the second, Dr. McCoy."
"Call him Bones." Jim interjected, eyes never leaving the doctor's despite his being perfectly aware of Spock next to him. Leonard McCoy's lips twitched in acknowledgement of the two in front of him. He'd be lying if he claimed to not want this. Besides, he wasn't too keen on what Jim would do – and recruit Spock to do – to get his attention and eventual agreement. Some things just weren't worth the hassle. He locked eyes with Spock, the beginnings of a smile on his lips.
"Call me Bones."